Independence Day
by GlassEmotions
Summary: It's Independence Day, and the students intend to celebrate. Uhura sings, Gaila's in an American flag bikini, and some guy's pants catch on fire. Sounds like a celebration to me! I'm not looking for flames or criticism, so if you have those don't share.


Independence Day

It was fourth day in July, and students of the Starfleet Academy were excitedly bustling about campus. Everywhere you looked; there was something either red, white, or blue. The trees were even laced with streamers of the aforementioned colors. It was a very festive sight to behold.

Activities and ceremonies had been planned to last the whole day and well into the night. There were speeches, poems, dances, and songs to commemorate the occasion. It was quite a joyful day. Even the least festive of all professors, Commander Spock, showed up.

And it had nothing to do with the fact that Cadet Uhura would be performing a song.

Not at all.

He lived on this planet, and in this country. Joining in celebration of their "Independence Day" would be… logical.

At least that's how his Vulcan mind perceived it.

As he stepped out onto the fresh grass, he took in the sights. To his right, he saw many male cadets attempting to barbeque. The smell didn't exactly please him, but he assumed from their expressions that all was well and that they would soon consume the meat they were preparing. He held back a grimace.

Continuing his pace, he glanced to his left. Several students had donned their bathing suits, and were frolicking in the water. Some lay out in the sun; content just to watch the others play. There were many women that appeared to be sleeping on their towels. He tilted his head in thought, and it occurred to him what they were _actually_ doing.

They were _tanning._

Cadet Uhura had once explained to him what it was, and it had confused him slightly.

"_The sun can be harmful to human skin if exposed to it for long periods of time. Why is it that so many choose to expose themselves to the ultraviolet rays?" _

"_It causes some human's skin to get darker."_

"_This does not affect all humans?"_

"_No. Some humans just get burnt, and don't get darker. Others don't seem to change at all."_

"_And the humans that do get 'darker'… They find this satisfying?"_

"_Yes, I suppose they do."_

"_Why is that?"_

_She didn't take her eyes off of the PADD she was working on. "Some humans think it looks good. It's all about style, and fashion, and what's considered to be 'in' these days."_

_He was quiet as he took in the information she had just given him. As he watched her stylus move back and forth over her work, another question popped into his mind._

"_Nyota, do you participate in this ritual?"_

_She looked up at him with her eyes slightly wider than usual._

"_You mean... Do I go tanning?"_

_He nodded in reply._

_A wide smile graced her lips as she began to laugh. He quirked an eyebrow at her curious response to his question._

"_Have I said something amusing?"_

_She touched her lips lightly as she quieted her laughter. "No. No, Spock. I'm sorry." She cleared her throat, and beamed at him. "To answer your question, I do not tan."_

"_Your skin is does not grow darker when exposed the ultraviolet rays?"_

_She clenched her lips into a tight smile, he assumed so that she would not laugh, and looked down at her PADD again._

"_No, it doesn't."_

_Spock observed her as she worked at a seemingly frantic pace. He could vaguely see a blush on her cheeks, although he didn't understand why._

"_Fascinating." _

As Spock approached the stage, he unconsciously scanned the crowd for signs of the dark haired beauty. When he realized that he was indeed looking for her, he switched his attention to the fold out chairs that were placed in rows in front of him.

There were not enough chairs for every student and teacher at Starfleet, but the decorations committee had taken into account how many students would be going home for the long weekend, and that most students would be more concerned with having fun than listening to people talk all day. Spock located a seat near the front of the stage, and yet far enough away to avoid making those already in their chairs uncomfortable.

As he listened to a student recite his essay on what being an American meant to him, he felt a presence beside him. He stood quicker than he probably should have, and looked down at the cadet.

"You came." She smiled up at him, showing off her pearly whites.

"As you requested."

She laughed slightly. "I guess I did, didn't I?"

He had learned early on in his years on Earth that not every question required an answer; this seemed to be one of those questions. Satisfied with his conclusion, he allowed himself to take in her attire.

She was wearing white heels, and a simple white dress that came down a little past her knees. The straps were thin, and it allowed her to show off her collarbone. His gaze lingered there two point six seconds longer than it should have, and he quickly moved his eyes to meet hers.

"You look aesthetically pleasing, Cadet."

She gave him a stern look.

"Spock, it's a holiday, no one can hear us, and I'm not your student anymore. Call me Nyota."

His lips twitched upward slightly.

"Very well, _Nyota._"

She beamed at him again, sending an unexplained rush of heat through his body.

"That's more like it. And thank you very much; I'm glad you think so. It was hard to get out of my dorm like this. Gaila wanted me to wear an American flag bikini." She rolled her eyes.

"And if would of looked FAN-FRIGGIN-TASTIC on you."

The two turned to see her green roommate coming towards them with her latest boy toy trailing behind. It would seem that since Uhura declined wearing the bikini, Gaila decided to wear it herself. It was a bit on the risqué side, but Gaila managed to cover herself up a little more… She wore a hat.

"You would have gotten a bigger turn out than _this_ at least." She gestured to the rows of chairs that were only half full.

"Hey, if these idiots want to play around all day without paying tribute to their country then by all means, let them."

"Ah, but Nyota dear, this very day give them the _right_ to do so!" Gaila smiled and winked at her friend. "And you're coming to play too after you're done with your song! You've been up here listening to all these people since seven!"

"Actually, I came up here to help set up the chairs and microphone system at seven. The performances didn't start until eight-thirty."

Gaila rolled her eyes. "Whatever! You're still coming with me. And you're free to come along as well Commander." She turned her attention to Spock.

He took a moment to consider; fully intending to decline the invitation, as it still seemed inappropriate for him to congregate with his former students. However, as he looked into Nyota's almost pleading eyes, he couldn't help but agree.

"Thank you, Cadet. I believe I will join you."

His answer made the two girls in front of him smile. He also couldn't help but notice the brief glances they gave each other. But he didn't have time to contemplate this.

"Great! Nyota, aren't you up next?"

Nyota looked up at the speaker, then back to her group.

"Yeah, I think I am." She smiled excitedly at her friend.

"Knock 'em dead, sweetie!" Gaila gave her a quick hug around the neck.

Uhura turned to Spock.

"Wish me luck, Commander."

Although there were no traces of it in her voice, Spock could see in her eyes that she was nervous.

"No luck is needed, Cadet." His tone was even. "You are fully capable of an exemplary performance. However, if you require that I say it, then I wish you luck."

She squeezed her eyes shut, and smiled. "Thank you."

With that, she spun on her heel and walked with ease to the side of the stage. He watched her as she went. The bottom of her dress bounced slightly against the back of her legs with every step, and her hair blew away from her shoulders. He could not remember seeing anyone walk as gracefully as she did.

"Mind if we sit with you, Commander?"

He turned his attention back to Gaila and her… _friend._

"Not at all, Cadet." He gestured to the row that he had chosen, and they filed in. Gaila sat in between the two men, and allowed Spock to have the end seat. She made sure to give Spock plenty of room; not wanting to invade his personal space. He took notice of this, and was silently grateful. No small talk was necessary, as Nyota took the stage almost immediately after they sat down.

As the announcer introduced her and her material, Spock couldn't help but notice that she was slightly clenching one side of her dress. He assumed that while waiting on the stairs, her nerves had had time to intensify. The announcer finished her introduction. Her eyes found his. She smiled, let go of her dress, and began to sing.

The song started out quiet, but he was instantly entranced by it. He closed his eyes to take in the sound of her voice. It seemed resonated all through him. When she hit the chorus, her voice grew strong and powerful. He couldn't help but open his eyes, and look at her face. Her eyes were shut, but her face was clearly passionate.

As she sang the chorus one last time, she drove her voice to be even more powerful than he would have thought capable. The crowd went wild with their cheers. Spock noticed vaguely that the crowd seemed to have grown since the beginning of the song, but his attention was on Uhura as she sang her final note.

Her eyelids fluttered open, and for a moment she seemed to be surprised at where she was. That was quickly replaced with a big smile, and a bow. As she scurried off stage, Gaila leaned over to Spock slightly to speak to him over the cheers.

"She's great, isn't she?"

Spock glanced at her face. Her eyes were twinkling with excitement for her best friend, and she seemed to have been left breathless by the performance. He returned his eyes to Nyota, who was walking down the middle aisle towards them.

"Indeed, she is."

They stood to greet Nyota, and as soon as she was close enough Gaila latched onto her.

"Oh! Honey, you were _so amazing!_ Honestly! No one can sing like you!"

"G-Gaila! You're choking me!"

The Orion girl quickly released her roommate, and giggled.

"Sorry, sorry! I'm just so excited for you! Now come on, this calls for celebration. Let's go!"

Nyota and Spock followed Gaila as she clung to her boy toy's arm tightly, and chatted to him loudly. Spock didn't hear a word she said. He was too busy thinking about Nyota's face as she sang her song, and how her performance stirred emotion inside of him that he wasn't familiar with. She had caused emotions such as these in the past; however they seemed to be getting more and more frequent. He deduced that by spending more time with her, he would be more likely to identify this elusive emotion. Yet after months it still hadn't revealed itself.

"What did you think, Commander?"

Her voice pulled him out of his thoughts; however, he took his time before answering.

"I thought it was a stirring performance, Cadet."

She wanted to hear more, he could tell. But they had arrived at their destination.

There were several large umbrellas stuck in the sand to provide shade for those who wished to sit outside, and yet still avoid the sun. Chairs were set up under these instead of beach towels, as one would normally expect. A shirtless, male cadet manned a grill nearby. Gaila pointed to him.

"_That's_ our cook for today! Just tell him how you want your burgers, and he'll hook you up. There's also some drinks over there in that cooler. I think we're gonna go cool off in the water before we eat. See you guys later!" Gaila winked at Nyota playfully before pulling her boyfriend, who Spock had identified as "Mike Barnns", out to the water.

Nyota turned to Spock.

"Follow me."

He did so as she began to walk toward the grill.

"Nyota, I feel I must remind you that I do consume meat."

She smiled at him, and almost rolled her eyes. "I _know_ that."

They reached the grill, and Nyota playfully punched at the cook's arm.

"Hey Keith!"

"Hey Nyota! I heard you singing from here. You were _awesome!_"

"Thanks! Now where are those veggie burgers that Gaila promised you'd have?"

Spock noticed that an unpleasant expression crossed this man's face.

"Got 'em right here. No one else would touch 'em!"

She shoved him playfully. "Just give them to me!"

He put the veggie patties on buns, and handed her the plates.

"There you go! Enjoy!"

Uhura said her thanks, and led Spock over to some chairs. As they sat down, she handed him his plate.

"Oh, I forgot!" She looked over her shoulder, and then back at him. "Could you hold this?"

She held out her plate, and her took it; clearly curious as to what caused this outburst. When Uhura stood up, she stumbled slightly. Silently cursing, and pulled off her heels, and set them beside her chair. He watched as she raced off to the cooler that contained the beverages, and then raced back to him. Slipping one bottle under her arm, she took her plate back and sat back down.

"I assume you want water?" She smiled as she extended one bottle out to him.

"Your assumption is correct." He took the bottle from her. "May I inquire as to what this is?" He gestured to the meat substitute on his plate.

"It's a veggie burger. It's not as good as _actual_ meat," she teased, "but it's still pretty good."

"You prefer, as you say, actual meat?"

"Yes.." Her voice drifted off, clearly not understanding his thought process.

"Why, then, did you make sure that there were veggie burgers in stock?"

She swallowed the bite that she had in her mouth, and dropped her eyes to the ground. Her toes started to make circles in the sand as she composed her answer.

"I just… wanted to make sure that you had something to eat." Her voice was quiet, and she kept her eyes fixed on her toes.

"You were certain that I would agree to accompany you here after your performance?"

"No. I made sure they had some just in case you did… And I got one too so you wouldn't feel self conscious."

He raised an eyebrow at that. "I am not capable of feeling self conscious, Cadet."

She glanced up at him. "I know. It was silly. But I wanted to make sure you had a good time today… Are you having a good time?"

Her eyes looked so round and innocent. Emotion was growing inside of him again.

"Yes, Cadet. I believe I am."

"Spock." She leaned closer to him. "No one else can hear us. What did I tell you?"

His lip twitched upward again. "Yes, _Nyota._"

She saw his eyes twinkle as he said her name, and had to bite back a squeal. She settled back into her chair, and picked up her burger.

"Good."

They sat in the shade of their umbrella and conversed, even long after they finished their meals. The topics ranged from upcoming finals, to Vulcan literature, and to how long Uhura should wait before returning to her room tonight. She was certain that Mike would be there when she got in, and she didn't want to come _too_ early. She'd walked in on many of Gaila escapades, and each had left their own personal scar on her corneas.

The sky was dark now, and Uhura smiled up at the stars. Conversation had stopped between the two, and now she was content to just sit and think. Of course, thinking quickly turned to daydreaming, and daydreaming is dangerous. Just as she was losing herself in one she heard Spock's voice, and she nearly fell out of her chair.

He quirked an eyebrow at her, as she smoothed her dress down and cleared her throat.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"The fireworks ceremony will begin soon. Do you wish to take part?"

She looked over at the mass of students huddled around the explosives. Quite a few dangerous scenarios played through her head before she answered.

"Um… I don't think so. I don't trust most of my classmates with fire."

Just as those words left her mouth they heard shrieks, and a guy ran screaming out of the crowd towards them. His shorts were on fire.

Uhura gasped as he got closer and suddenly found that she had to tilt her head to see him. One of his friends tackled him before he reached their spot, and smothered the fire with a beach towel. As she sighed a breath of relief, she realized what had obstructed her view. Spock had moved in front of her.

He made sure that the boy's pants were no longer a threat before sitting back down. His mind was running through appropriate acts of discipline for the boy when he was interrupted by a quiet voice.

"Thank you, Spock."

He looked over at her, and found that she was grinning sheepishly at him.

"I require no gratitude, Nyota. It is my duty as a teacher to ensure that you are unharmed while on campus."

"Oh.." Her eyes drifted to her toes again. "Just on campus." The last part was barely even a whisper. She wasn't even sure she'd said it out loud. But he heard it.

"Nyota."

She mumbled in response.

"Nyota, I believe this conversation would be more effective if we were to maintain eye contact."

Doing her best to squelch the disappointment in her eyes, she moved them to meet his gaze. It was then that she felt her heart stop.

His eyes bore into hers. They were filled with more emotion than she had ever seen before. The emotions seemed to be battling each other. Before she could determine the winner, he spoke.

"Nyota, it is my duty as a teacher to ensure that you are unharmed while on campus. However, I have made it a personal goal to see that you are safe whenever I am able. You are… _essential_ to me." His voice was quiet, but to her pleasure, very husky. And in his eyes, she could see that he wanted her to understand. He needed her to.

And then she learned how to breathe again.

But she couldn't remember how to talk, so she settled for the next best thing. She leaned over the arm of her chair, and kissed him softly on the lips. He tensed at first, but soon relaxed. She noticed that he didn't kiss her back, but he didn't need to. When she pulled back, he knew that she'd understood. There was still a small smile on her face.

"You're essential to me too."

They looked at each other for a while before Spock's eyes moved to her lips. He brushed his thumb gently across her lower lip before he cupped her cheek, and pulled her closer. Just as their lips were about to touch—

BOOM! – The first firework went off.

Nyota squealed, and instinctively latched onto his shoulders. A few fireworks later, her mind registered what just happened. She felt Spock's hands gently on her waist, and she pulled back so she could see him; her face flushed with embarrassment. Thank goodness it was dark.

"Are you unharmed?" His eyes showed that he was teasing her.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I'm just kicking myself for ruining the moment." She grumbled the last part, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Ruining the moment?"

She nodded.

"I believe you are mistaken, Nyota. If anything you have made 'the moment' even more memorable."

She moved back into her own chair, and gave him a sideways glance.

"Don't tease me, Spock."

"I am merely stating facts."

She looked at him long and hard before she decided on an appropriate response.

"You're just lucky I didn't head butt you in the nose. Bleeding would have been most unfortunate."

"Affirmative."

"It would have made it more _memorable_ though." She teased as she settled back into her chair.

"Indeed." His lips twitched upward at the thought.

It was quiet then. They watched as the fireworks went off one by one, and then dissolved into the air. Somehow during the show their hands found each other. She wasn't sure who had reached for who, but didn't bother worrying about it. She then began to hum the chorus of her song. When she was done, she realized that he had his eyes closed. He wasn't sleeping though, just listening. That was when she gave into her impulses. She quickly leaned over to him, and pressed her lips against his. It wasn't as soft as last time, but it lasted much longer. And this time, he kissed back. When she broke the kiss he raised his eyebrows at her.

"May I ask what that was for?"

She stood up and smiled his favorite smile.

"Because it's Independence Day. And I can."


End file.
